


Hidden Potential

by AppleCiderr



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, BAMF Tony Stark, Betrayal, Civil War Fix-It, Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, Hypothermia, Interrogation, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Telekinesis, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Tony stark has powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-06-22 15:21:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15584841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleCiderr/pseuds/AppleCiderr
Summary: Tony Stark is left behind in Siberia to freeze to death. In his desperate attempts to escape and call for help, he discovers abilities he never knew he could possess.When he returns home, he discovers the true potential of these powers. Now he must learn to control his newfound powers while hiding them from those attempting to seize control of what's left of the Avengers.





	1. A Cold Shock

When Tony’s vision finally returned, he realized that he was shivering. Everything was cold, and sore. He wearily looked around, and saw that he was still in the cold, unforgiving blizzard of Siberia. As if he wasn’t already freezing enough, his heart iced over with shock.

 

_Rogers and Barnes… They left me here._

 

The genius felt a burning hatred fill his gut. Why would they do that?! Why would they leave him to freeze to death!?

 

Tony took several large, deep breaths and watched the air in front of him cloud up. He pushed the thoughts of those two bastards away, he needed to focus on getting away from the damned HYDRA base.

 

“Friday-” He began, before cutting himself off. His chocolate eyes widened, shifting to look at the vibranium shield next to him. _I can’t call Friday… My suit is broken._

 

Tony started breathing faster, his heart constricted with panic. “I… I need to get out,” He croaked,”I need to leave! I have to get home!”

 

He pushed his hands against the ground, forcing himself up into a sitting position. He groaned at all the weight the suit was putting on him, and felt another surge of panic explode through him. His suit was broken and heavy, he was in the middle of a blizzard, and had no means to call for help.

 

 _I have to get out of the suit!_ Tony told himself, reaching up to his emergency release button by his neck. When he pressed it, however, nothing happened.. His heart sped up even more, as he irrationally slammed his finger down on the button several more times. Still, nothing happened. It didn’t even feel like it was pressing down all the way..

 

Tony released a strangled noise, grabbing at the neck of his suit and desperately trying to rip it open. But his weakened body could barely even stay sitting up, let alone open up his suit.

 

The brunnette let out an angry cry, falling back down onto the ground, shivering violently. His fingers were growing numb underneath the cold metal, he knew he needed to get out fast. If the emergency release button was broken, he needed something sharp to force his suit open.

 

He looked over to the nearby wall, noticing a broken steel rod in the wall of the crumbling hideout. If he could reach it.. Maybe it would be enough to force the button to work.

 

Tony tried to force himself to a stand, but his shivering body wasn’t cooperating. _Just how long was I unconscious to already be this cold?_! But he knew he had no way to answer that question. If he didn’t hurry, it would only get worse.

 

The genius tried to pull himself closer to the sharp rod, to the shield, to _anything_ that might be able to help. His arms screamed at the attempt, and he dropped to the ground once more. Panic started to rise within him once more, what was he going to do?

 

In one last desperate attempt, Tony stretched out his hand towards the steel rod. _Please! Please! I don’t want to die here!_ He begged the world, heart pounding in utter terror.

 

Suddenly, something powerful flowed through Tony’s body.

 

Then the steel rod shuddered, and flew right towards the genius. The shocked genius let out a cry of surprise, but somehow managed to catch it. HIs wide eyes stared at the rod for almost a full minute, confusion ringing through him. “Did.. Did I do that?” He whispered.

 

 _That does matter right now!_ His mind snapped. _Get out of the suit and call for help!_

 

Tony snapped out of his trance, pushing the sharp end of the rod against the emergency release button. It still didn’t budge. He growled, and carefully pressed harder on the button. Finally, he heard a click, and the suit opened with a hiss of air. Several pieces instantly broke off the suit, clattering to the ground sadly.

 

Tony dropped the rod, yanking himself out of what was left from the broken suit. Now free of its confines, Tony quickly reached for his phone, his fingers shaking badly as he dialed for the only person he could think of; his best friend.

 

After a few rings, he heard Rhodey’s calm voice. “ _Hey Tony, what’s going on? Pepper said she hadn’t seen you_ ,” He asked casually.

 

“R-Rhodey… Please s-send for help,” He croaked,”I’m in a HYDRA base in Siberia… The s-suit is shut d-down... I’m s-stuck..”

 

He heard the other man gasp frantically. “ _What?!_ ” He exclaimed,” _Hang on Tony! I’ll have Ross send someone right away! Hang on!_ ”

 

The dial tone reached Tony’s ears next, and he shuddered as the wind slammed into him once more. Tony frantically dragged his shaking body into the corner that was furthest away from the open hole in the wall.

 

He pulled his legs up to his chest, hugging them close, and shivering violently. It was so cold… He wished that it would all just go away…

 

Tony waited there for what felt like hours before he noticed that there hadn’t been any harsh, cold winds recently. He slowly opened his eyes, and gasped in shock.

 

The snow wasn’t hitting him, and instead was piling up in a perfect circle around him, almost as if it was being kept away something. Although it still felt cold, there was no wind. He saw the snow in the wind go near him, but then suddenly hit against something and drop to the ground.

 

Curiosity finally got the better of the genius, and he reached out a shaking hand towards the open air. To his shock, his hand connected with something solid, and the strange barrier began to glow blue. Tony pulled his hand away, watching the dome that surrounded him fade back into invisibility.

 

The genius’ wide brown eyes stared towards what he had just seen, and he found himself panicking even more. “What… What is going on?!” He exclaimed,”None of this is making sense!”

 

Tony buried his face in his hands, completely overwhelmed with everything. After everything that had happened, was all too much for the genius. He felt a sudden blast of cold air hit him, the world started spinning, and then everything faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Tony awakens to an interrogation from Ross, and goes home to think.


	2. Grasping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony awakens in the hospital, and goes home to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! I'm so glad you all love this story so much! I love it as well!
> 
> Here's a reward, chapter two! Whoohoo!

When Tony regained awareness, he found himself in a hospital room.

 

His head throbbed in pain and he was a little sore, but other than that, he felt pretty good. The warmth of the blankets, despite the discomfort of the hospital bed, felt heavenly. 

 

His chocolate eyes pried opened, taking in the white room with relief. Although the genius usually hated hospitals, he would rather be stuck in one for weeks than feel the burning cold of Siberia again.  _ Thank goodness I managed to get out of there _ .

 

A frown graced the genius’ face as the memory of exactly  _ how  _ he got out of Siberia resurfaced. He frowned, rubbing at his temple as thoughts spun around in his mind.

 

He somehow made something fly to him, and made some strange dome to keep the snow out. He’d  _ never  _ done that before. In fact it reminded him of… 

 

Of Wanda’s abilities. 

 

His heart skipped a beat. Turning to look down at his hands, one of which was wrapped in a soft cast. At first he thought maybe the whole incident was from his imagination, but he could feel it flowing through his veins.  _ It wasn’t a dream, it’s still here.  _

 

“I… Have powers?” 

 

Suddenly, the door to his hospital room was opened. Tony quickly threw his hands back down, turning to face the figure in front of the doorway. He instantly had to stop himself from cringing.  _ Oh no… _

 

It was Ross. 

 

The gray haired secretary’s arms were crossed, looking down at Tony in the bed with his pin-like eyes. Then, the secretary firmly snapped,“You’re lucky Colonel Rhodes called us, or you would have died.” 

 

“I’m doing well, thanks for asking,” The genius sarcastically replied. 

 

Ross scoffed, rolling his eyes. “This isn’t a joke, Stark!” He declared,”You suddenly leave the RAFT, and next thing I know my soldiers find you slumped over, surrounded by snow. You had hypothermia. What happened out there!?”

 

Tony felt… Conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to admit everything that Rogers and Barnes did to him. But then Ross would know that Tony specifically went to team up with them… He may even force Tony off the Avengers or prosecute him. He knew that, if he wanted to fix the mess that was the Accords, he needed to stay on Ross’ good side. 

 

“I… Can’t remember,” He lied, forcing a concerned look on his face. “I remember going to the RAFT to talk to you… And then everything hurt and it was.. It was so cold…”

 

In those dark eyes, Tony could see a hint of disappointment in the Secretary’s eyes. Despite his hatred toward the Rouge Avengers, his abhor towards Ross grew.  _ You just want something else to blame us for, you bastard!  _

 

“I see…” Ross said, beginning to pace. “That makes things much more difficult… Do you think your memory may come back?” 

 

_ Oh yeah, totally. I can control that shit. I’m the one that made you forget what human decency was!  _ Tony almost snapped, but once again managed to hold himself back. 

 

“It’s possible,” Tony calmly replied,”Maybe it’s just retrograde amnesia. But I need to recover before I worry about that. At this point, I’m just glad to be alive.” 

 

Ross made a noise which Tony decided to translate as agreement. “Well, let me know when it does,” He ordered, turning and stalking out of the room. 

 

“Okay! Thanks for caring  _ so  _ much about my health, Secretary Ross!” Tony called in the most sugary sweet tone. 

 

As soon as Ross left, a nurse entered the room. She checked his vitals, looking pleased by the results. 

 

“Well, Mr. Stark, it looks like everything is back to normal. Your body temperature is healthy, you have no signs of frostbite, and your wounds are healing well,” She declared, looking rather pleased. 

 

“So…. That means I can leave?” He suggested hopefully. 

 

The nurse smirked, obviously someone already caught her up on Tony’s dislike of the hospital. “Yes you can,” She said,”Just make sure to keep your left hand in the soft cast until your next check up, keep your cuts bandaged, and just relax for a while. We don’t want to see you back here for  _ any  _ reason other than a checkup.” 

 

Thankful that he could leave, Tony slyly answered,”Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll be sure to lay low.” 

 

The woman was pleased with his answer, and began helping the genius get ready to leave. Little did the woman know that Tony Stark meant lay low in a much more literal sense.. 

 

— — — — — — 

 

The idea of returning to the Avengers Compound after what happened filled Tony with unease, Ross could get in there easily, and it was filled with happy memories of people he didn’t want to think about.

 

So, he went back to Stark Tower. (Well, technically it was still Avengers tower but he was already planning to change that.) He needed to figure out what happened in Siberia, and the tower was the best place to do it. 

 

The second the elevator doors opened, he felt a strange sadness fill him. It was so quiet… So empty. 

 

Despite his attempts to avoid them, Tony’s mind was instantly overcome with despair. He remembered the team dinners, movie nights, and the party… Right before Ultron. Right before he messed it all up. 

 

_ No, you didn’t!  _ A firm voice in his mind yelled.  _ When you tried to tell Rogers what Wanda did, he completely disregarded it!  _

 

Tony huffed again, desperately trying to push those thoughts away. It didn’t matter whether it was his fault or not, he was still completely alone. He was going to focus on himself. “Hey Fri, start the coffee machine?” The genius softly requested.

 

The lights in the kitchen clicked on, and the sound of his coffee machine heating up filled the empty room. The brunette already knew he would need a nice, big cup of coffee for his new investigation. 

 

He opened the cabinet, pushing back the smaller mugs to reach for one of his larger. His brown eyes, however, caught sight of one he hadn’t seen in a while. Tony recognized it easily, and remember who gifted it to him. Not that it was hard, there was only one person who called him ‘Science Bro’.

 

The genius shoved the other mugs aside, quickly yanking out the one Bruce gifted him. He turned away from the cabinet, holding the ceramic close to his chest. He walked to the island, leaning forward, and holding the mug in front of him. “Oh Bruce…” He muttered sadly. “I miss you so much..”

 

His thumb ran fondly across the writing on the front. “I wonder what you would have thought about the Accords… Things probably would have been much easier. They always listened to you more anyways..” He muttered gently.

 

Tony suddenly found that he was at a loss of words, and simply sighed. Closing his eyes, the genius held onto one of his last connections to his friend, and just let everything else fade away.

 

Behind Tony, however, one of the mugs he had carelessly pushed aside had been teerting at the edge of the cabinet. Finally, it gave out, falling from the cabinet and slamming into the floor with a loud shattering. 

 

Tony’s brown eyes instantly snapped open, jumping up so high that the mug practically flew out of his hands. Tony instantly cried out in panic, watching the mug fall, and desperately reaching out for it. 

 

Adrenaline instantly exploded through the genius. “No!” He cried out, instinctively reaching out, but he was too late to catch it. All he could settle for was scrunching his eyes closed, and waiting for the inevitable shatter to follow.

 

….

 

But it didn’t come.

 

The engineer slowly opened his eyes, wondering if his yell had covered up the shattering. No.. He hadn’t yelled long enough for that…  _ Then what happened?  _

 

Tony suddenly realized that the feeling that went through him hadn’t been adrenaline… He felt exactly like he had when the strange incidents occured in the HYDRA base.

 

His heart skipped a beat, and Tony slowly began to raise his arm up. Along with his arm, the Science Bro coffee mug began to rise up from the other side of the island. It was floating…

 

The genius released a breath of shock, and then waved his arm up and down. Sure enough, the mug followed. It wasn’t just floating… Tony was _ making _ it float.

 

“I have powers,” He whispered, before a blinding smile exploded onto his face. ”I have powers!! I really do have powers!”

 

“Boss?” Friday’s hesitant voice broke through his excitement. But he forced himself to concentrate. He moved his arm to his chest, watchin the mug move closer to him. Every passing second that went by where his powers were showing themselves, Tony found himself ground even more giddy.

 

An excited noise escaped the genius, as he yelled,”Friday! Quick! Scan me, the mug! In between us! I have to see the results! This… This is amazing!”

 

“Yes boss!” Friday happily replied, quickly beginning to turn on the scanners. Although she hadn’t been ordered to, she also replayed the security footage of her creator from just a few moments ago.

 

Simply reviewing the footage filled her with a resolve. She moved all footage of Tony’s strange new powers, along with the scan results, into a secret folder outside the Stark Industries server, and made sure to delete the footage after transferring it as well.

 

She hadn’t been asked to do any of the extra stuff, but she knew exactly why she did it. Everything she had just witnessed was extremely rare. His excitement was bright, his happiness was boundless and she knew that his newfound abilities had caused it.

 

Friday would protect this new information at all costs.

 

Because she had never seen her creator this happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Tony gets the result of the scans and tests his limits.


	3. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony begins to test out his powers

The workshop was buzzing with more activity than it had in months. Butterfingers and Dum-E were rolling all over, picking up as many objects as they could to set down next to the empty table. The items ranged from coffee cups to an actual blender which Tony never remembered bringing down to the workshop.. 

 

U was nearby, his camera recording every little bit he could. The bot even shoved the camera in the pile of items, which only angered the other two.

 

“Hey! Hey!” Tony exclaimed, running to pull U out of the pile. “You know, your camera zooms for a reason, buddy.”

 

Butterfingers and Dum-E both beeped hauntingly, purposefully fixing the items that U had moved in some kind of attempt of robotic spite. After releasing an amused chuckle, Tony quickly shooed the robots to the side.

 

He then turned his attention back to the pile. “Okay, okay,” The genius whispered,”We’re going to get ALL those things onto the table, using only my powers.”

 

His brown eyes turned down to his hands, clenching and unclenching his hands. Both times he had used his powers, it had been because he was feeling strong emotions and focusing hard on getting the item he wanted. 

 

With a hesitation that was rare for the genius, he outstretched his hand, focusing on the coffee cup. _ I want to move it. I want to come it to me. NOW!  _

 

The power surged through him again. The cup shuddered, and then flew off the pile, right at him. Tony’s hand clasped around the cup, grinning widely at his success. He then held his hand out, palm up, and made the cup float just a few inches above it. 

 

“So it seems like I need to concentrate on doing it, and what I want it to do,” He said aloud as he closed his hand, spinning his index finger around, and watching the cup twirl.

 

A smirk remained on his face as he pushed his hand back towards the table, sending the cup floating over to it. When it finally was floating just a little bit above the table, he forcefully thought.  _ Let go!  _

 

The power flowing through his hands cut off, and the cup plopped right onto table. Tony’s chest was puffed out with pride. “I did it!” He exclaimed proudly. 

 

His robots beeped proudly, while Friday congratulated him. Then, Dum-E and Butterfingers did something Tony wasn’t prepared for. 

 

They scrambled over to the pile. They both grabbed something, and then threw it straight at Tony. 

 

The genius let out a frantic cry, quickly putting his hands and stopping the items in midair. Instantly, excitement overcame him.  _ I can hold more than one thing! _ He realized, but then frowned as he saw what had been thrown at him. 

 

“How the hell did my cell phone and wallet get into this pile?!” He demanded, turning his attention back to the robots. 

 

Butterfingers didn’t move, but Dum-E immediately took off running. “Oh no you don’t!” Tony instantly called out, a mischievous idea coming into his mind. “Dum-E, stop right there!” 

 

He kept his concentration on the two items he already had, and reached out with his powers for Dum-E. The robot stopped, beeping frantically as he realized he couldn’t move. 

 

“Young bot, you are in time out!” Tony declared, and began lifting Dum-E into the air. The robot frantically beeped, waving around his claw in shock. 

 

Despite the mental strain being put on Tony from lifting such a heavy object, he couldn’t help but be excited. He had powers! They really worked! He couldn’t believe it! 

 

The genius lowered dummy back down, growing even more confident. He summoned several more items with his other hand, bringing them into his floating collection. 

 

Tony then concentrated on his excited idea, making all the items form a circle, and then began to spin. He grinned, watching the circle spin around him. 

 

“What do you think, Fri?” He asked, a wide grin on his face. “I could win any juggling contest with this!”

 

“I believe that would be called  _ cheating,  _ boss,” The AI quipped back playfully. 

 

Tony couldn’t help the laughter that escaped him, simply enjoying being around the things he loved, and with his brand new abilities. 

 

Their amusement couldn’t last, however, as Friday suddenly went frantic. “Boss, Miss Potts is in the elevator, she’s on her way here!” The AI warned, mentally punishing herself for not keeping tabs on it. 

 

“What!?” Tony exclaimed, panic jolting through him. The items he had been previously holding instantly clattered to the ground, just in time for the elevator to open. 

 

Pepper went to step out of the elevator, but froze at what sight greeted her. Dum-E and Butterfingers rolling around while beeping frantically, a pile of assorted items on the ground, and several of them now on the floor by Tony. 

 

Unsure of how to begin, Pepper merely raised an eyebrow. Tony, in return, gave a hesitant wave of his hand. 

 

“I’m not even gonna ask,” Pepper stated right away. 

 

_ Thank you for not asking.  _ Tony replied in his head. Although he was getting the hand of his powers, he had no idea how he would explain it to her, or if he even  _ wanted _ to. Instead of making making a joke like he normally would, Tony quickly changed the subject. 

 

“What’s up, Pepper? Something wrong at SI?” He questioned. Things were still kind of awkward between them after their breakup, so he preferred to end the conversation quick. 

 

Once again, Pepper arched an eyebrow at his strange behavior. “I… Just came to tell you that Ross is demanding a meeting with you sometime this week, I don’t know about what,” She said,”And Rhodey is just about ready to be discharged, he wants you to bring him to the tower.”

 

Tony already knew both those things, and he was pretty sure Pepper did as well. “Are you sure that’s all you came here to say?” He hesitantly asked.

 

His hypothesis (as always) was correct, as Pepper began to chew on her lip, looking down at the floor. “I just..” She started, only to stop and release a deep sigh. She then forced her head back up, blue eyes staring straight at Tony. 

 

“I know things have been… Awkward between us,” She admitted,”But just because we’re not a couple anymore doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. You can still talk to me. You know that, right?” 

 

Tony nodded slowly in return to her words, unsure of how to respond. “Sure…” He awkwardly replied. 

 

Pepper didn’t seem satisfied by his response, but Tony really didn’t know what else to say. In order to avoid the tension, he knelt down and began picking up the items he had been making float mere seconds ago. 

 

“Tony, are you doing okay?” 

 

He turned his brown eyes back to her, narrowed with confusion. “What do you mean?” He questioned. 

 

“Exactly what I said,” The redhead repeated,”You nearly froze to death in Siberia, and then instantly hide away down here once you get out of the hospital. Are you okay?” 

 

_ Oh, well I can see why she’d be worried. I did sort of hide away…  _ He thought. Although, in all honesty, he hadn’t even been thinking about any of that stuff. He’d been so busy testing out his new powers. It had been making him so excited and so happy that it was easy to forget about the rouge avengers. 

 

So the brunette brought a real, genuine smile onto his face. “I’m doing great, Pep!” He declared,”Actually, better than I have been in a while. Thanks for checking in though.” 

 

The woman instantly seemed to melt with relief. “That’s good,” She replies,”I was worried that…” 

 

Pepper cut herself off before she could say anything else, her face becoming tight with professionalism again. “Well, stop making a mess in here and go get Rhodey! I want to see him, and I’m sure he’s bored out of his mind!” She ordered.

 

“Don’t worry, Pep, I’ll go save him!” He declared,”Like the knight of shining gold titanium alloy that I am!”

 

The redhead scoffed fondly, and replied,”Just make sure he gets here in time for dinner!” Then, before Tony could respond, she left the way she came. 

 

Almost instantly, Tony’s stomach started growling loudly. “Damn,” He muttered,”All this excitement has me famished! I’m gonna go get Rhodey, and treat him to the best place in town!” 

 

He turned over to his bots. “Keep everything the way it is, I want to keep practicing. In fact, find some more items if you can! Like a scavenger hunt!” He excitedly explained, making the bots beep excitedly and scurry off. 

 

Tony then went to the elevator, heading towards his beloved cars as he asked,”You got this, Friday?” 

 

“Of course, Boss,” She replied,”Everything has already been filed in your secret server. “I’m sure Rhodey is anxiously awaiting your arrival.”

 

The genius grinned, nodding his head as he climbed into his car. “In all honesty, Fri, I think I’m even more afraid,” He admitted, and drove out of the garage.

 

As he started down the roads, Tony thought of why he was anxious. There were many reasons. It was the first time he’d see Rhodey since taking him to the hospital, he hadn’t told him about Siberia, and he had no idea how Rhodey was coping with the loss of his legs. 

 

The main reason, however, was that he now knew who he was going to reveal his powers to first…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Tony picks up Rhodey and the best friends spend the day together.


	4. Privy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhodey gets discharged from the hospital.

From the instant Tony arrived to help him leave the hospital, Rhodey could tell something was different.

 

His best friend seemed… Brighter, and had a bounce in his step. There was a real, actual smile on his face that was turning many heads out of curiosity. But, the colonel could understand why. Tony’s real smile was _much_ different than the one he put on for the press.

 

Rhodey fiddled with the arms of his wheelchair, looking back up just as Tony stopped in front of him. “Hey Platypus!” He cheerfully called,”You ready to get out of this place?”

 

The glee was even in his voice! Rhodey was getting even more curious as to what have made his friend so happy. “Uh, yeah!” The colonel replied,”You took so long I already finished all the paperwork!”

 

“Aww!” Tony cooed back. “My wittle Whodey is all grown up! He can even check himself out of the hospital!”

 

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Just push me, smartass.”

 

And Tony did. They headed out of the hospital, ignoring all the stares and whispers from nurses or other patients. As they reached the door, however, ignoring it got a lot harder. The second it opened, the best friends were overwhelmed by the flashes of cameras.

 

Rhodey cringed, bringing his hand over his eyes to shield himself. Fucking paparazzi.. I don’t know how Tony deals with this, I really don’t.

 

Despite all the flashes and questions, Tony didn’t even look at them. He simply continued to push Rhodey through the crowd and toward the car, not even giving the group the time of day. The persistent group followed behind them like a group of ducklings, and even though Tony wasn’t fazed at all, Rhodey was finding it difficult to ignore.

 

“Colonel! How do you feel about losing the use of your legs?”

 

“What does that feel like?”

 

“What do you plan to do now that you won’t be able to go into the army?”

 

“Do you feel useless?”

 

Rhodey’s eyes widened, the questions stabbing at his heart like cold icicles. He was unable to stop his eyes from turning back to the group of vultures, as a chill went through his spine. He looked back towards his best friend, whose narrowed eyes stared right at the group with barley hidden hatred. His hands were squeezing the wheelchair so tight Rhodey was worried they might break.

 

All of a sudden, the three paparazzi members who had been in front of the others were thrown back. They cried out in surprise along with the people behind them, and then they all fell over one by one, much like dominoes. Although the sound of the cameras crashing against the ground was very satisfying to Rhodey’s ears, he could help but wonder. _What did they trip on?_

 

While they were dazed, Tony quickly helped Rhodey into the passenger seat, practically tossing the wheelchair into the back, and then got into the front himself. They quickly pulled out of the hospital parking lot before any of the vultures were able to stop them.

 

They drove in silence for a few seconds. Rhodey was looking between his lap and Tony, still aware of the tightness in Tony’s limbs. Finally, the genius released an annoyed sigh, his shoulders slumping a bit. “Like fucking cockroaches, aren’t they?” He asked.

 

Rhodey pasted a crooked grin on his face, along with a small chuckle. “Yeah,” He replied, going silent again for a few moments. “Why did those three fall back like that? It was like they tripped over air!”

 

The anger that filled the engineer’s chocolate eyes was instantly filled with mischievous glee. “Oh, I know exactly what happened,” He replied, a cheshire cat grin rising up onto his face.

 

His answer did nothing to help Rhodey, and only filled him with more curious suspicion. _What does Tony mean by that?_ Much to Rhodey’s dismay, his friend refused to say anything else, so he resigned himself to be tortured by the thought for the rest of the car ride.

 

\-- -- -- -- -- --

 

Instead of going back to the tower, however, Tony decided that he wanted to treat Rhodey to something special. After all, he had to be stuck in the hospital longer than Tony had, eating that disgusting hospital food each day he was there.

 

So, Tony drove them to one of the best (in Rhodey’s opinion) Italian restaurants in New York. He helped Rhodey out, and went through the VIP Entrance (it was really just a back entrance, but the owner was a friend.) and they were seated.

 

After they both got their food, Tony found himself suddenly unsure of what to say. He stabbed at a meatball, turning his brown eyes up towards his friend. Rhodey’s own chocolate orbs were staring down at his plate, dark with sadness, nudging his food around halfheartedly.

 

The genius frowned, going to clear his throat. “So, um…” He slowly began, searching desperately for any topic of conversation. “Did Ross interrogate you too?”

 

“A bit,” Rhodey answered blankly,”While you were in Siberia. I didn’t know anything, he left quick.”

 

Tony released a frustrated breath; Ross was really starting to get on his nerves. “Of course he would, he has temper tantrums when he doesn’t get the candy he wants,” Tony teasingly responded.

 

Much to Tony’s chagrin, Rhodey didn’t even twitch his lips. He simply continued to push at his food around on the plate. Tony’s frown deepened, shoving around his own meal. He quickly tried a new route.

 

“Hey, maybe I can deactivate his security cameras and then we can mess with his office!” The genius exclaimed,”I’ll edit the footage to make it look like nothing happened!”

 

“He’ll know it was you,” Rhodey bluntly answered.

 

Tony’s brown eyes filled with concern. This wasn’t the Rhodey he knew; the one who would joke around and possibly even join in on his pranks. “Platypus? Are you… Are you alright?”

 

Much to his surprise, Rhodey let out an angry growl. He threw his fork onto his plate, and angrily snapped,”Does it look like I’m alright, Tony?! I’m in a fucking wheelchair! Everything I was before is gone!”

 

The genius’s brown orbs widened. “Rhodey… Don’t tell me you actually believe what those vultures were saying!” He exclaimed.

 

“Why wouldn’t I?” The colonel snarled back,”It’s all true, all of it is!”

 

“No it isn’t!” Tony answered, anger beginning to explode through his veins. “You are still Colonel James Rhodes, War Machine, and-”

 

“A cripple!” The man interrupted in a hateful spit.

 

“Why are you listening to them? Don’t you understand that’s what they want?!” Tony exclaimed,”You are none of those things, and even if you were I’d still be your friend! I can help you, Platypus!”

 

Rhodey slammed his hand on the table, making their plates jump. “Shut up Tony!” He snapped,”I’m done with this! Just take me home!”

 

“This conversation isn’t over, Rhodey-” Tony tried to argue.

 

“I’m ending it now! If you aren’t going to take me home, then I’ll take myself home!” The man snapped, sliding himself to the end of the booth.

 

But since he was still watching Tony, he found his hand meeting empty air. The colonel began to fall. His hands frantically went out to grab for the wheelchair, but only managed to send it tumbling toward his face.

 

Tony realized what was happening the instant it began. Before he could stop his instinct, his hand went outstretched, the power flowing into his palm.

 

Rhodey stopped in midair, and found himself being pulled back into the booth. But it didn’t feel like someone was pulling him… It felt like he was floating. There was a strange blue hue around him… And something else. He turned his eyes back towards his wheelchair, only to watch it fold back together and float back into its proper position.

 

The colonel’s wide brown eyes turned back to his friend who was much too far away to have grabbed him, and his breath was instantly taken away. It was nearly transparent, but he saw the bright blue hue that had surrounded him and the wheelchair was flowing around his best friend’s hand.

 

The colors around them vanished, and the two simply stared at each other for several long moments. Finally, the shock faded away enough for the colonel to be able to speak.

 

“Tony… What the fuck was that?” He whispered hoarsely towards his friend.

 

Tony didn’t answer at first, jumping from his seat and looking around. He then pulled out his wallet, throwing a few hundred dollar bills on the table, and quickly saying,”Not here. The tower. Let’s go.”

 

His hunger replaced with curiosity, Rhodey was quick to get back into his wheelchair and follow his friend; desperate to be privy to the secret his friend was suddenly hiding.

 

— — — — — — —

 

The ride to the tower was tense, the ride up the elevator was even more so. When they got to the living room at the top, Rhodey was surprised they were even able to move with the thorny feeling that was flowing around them.

 

Tony parked him in front of the couch before backing up. He held his hands up in the air, taking a few deep breaths. “Okay, Platypus. This is _top secret_ . Only my bots know about this. _Please_ don’t freak out.”

 

Rhodey didn’t give much of a response, as he couldn’t promise to freak out when he didn’t know what this secret was.

 

Tony took another nervous breath, before holding out his hand. Instantly, the remote that had been on the nightstand next to Rhodey flew towards the genius.

 

Before it hit his hand, Tony held his palm out, pointing his finger upward. The simple movements stopped the remote in midair, before sending it up a little high above the brunette.

 

His brown eyes turned back to Rhodey, whose jaw was wide open with shock. Unsure of what else he could say, the genius awkwardly declared,”So… Yeah… I don’t know how it happened… But I have powers now.”

 

Rhodey didn’t say anything for a long, tortuous minute, simply staring at the floating at Tony’s whim. Finally, he slowly began,”This..”

 

Tony cringed, waiting for the blow up.

 

“ __Is…”

 

Rhodey was going to kill him… Here it comes…

 

“Fucking AWESOME!”

 

The genius blinked in surprise, nearly dropping the remote back to the ground. Rhodey’s eyes were practically glowing with a mixture of awe and excitement. The smile was brighter than Tony had seen since he fell at the airport.

 

“You just.. Your hand! And then it floated! Holy shit! You have powers! Where did those even come from?!” Rhodey chattered in excitement, eyes glittering with awe.

 

Tony’s heart filled with relieved happiness, and he replied,”I have no clue, they just showed up outta nowhere!”

 

He let the remote float back down onto the couch, while a mischievous gleam entered his chocolate eyes. “Wanna see what else I can do with it?” He asked his best friend, although he knew what the answer would be.

 

“Hell yeah!” Rhodey practically cheered.

 

As usual, Tony Stark was right. He gave a thumbs up, and then pointed down the hall with a hearty smile.

 

“To the workshop!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Rhodey and Tony delve deeper into his powers and Tony accidentally starts something big


	5. Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Rhodey mess with Tony's new powers to see just what they can do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New Chapter! My life isn't as hectic so hopefully I can update other stuff too!

Tony would be lying if he claimed that he wasn’t showing off to Rhodey.  He used his powers to send all the items Butterfingers and Dum-E had piled up back to where they actually belonged, even rotating them to the correct position he wanted. 

 

He couldn’t help but show off a bit, it felt amazing to actually share his secret with another human. 

 

Once everything was turned to right, Tony made sure to turn on the coffee machine before turning to his excited best friend. “So, what should we try out?” The genius asked.

 

Rhodey quickly cocked an eyebrow at the man. “Don’t bullshit me, Tones. I know you’ve already been messing with them. What can you already do?” He countered.

 

Tony huffed, crossing his arms. Of course Rhodey would guess Tony had been messing around, he always knew when Tony was up to something. “Well…” The brunette began,”I can do the floating thing, and that’s about it. I haven’t really tried anything else.”

 

Rhodey grew a thoughtful look on his face, rubbing a hand on his chin. “Well.. You can lift solid things.. Have you tried lifting other things? Like liquids?” He asked curiously.

 

“Liquids…” Tony muttered to himself, unable to hide his own growing interest at the idea.  _ Surely it’s possible, right? I can at least try. _ The genius went back over to the coffee machine, bringing the now full cup of coffee in between him and Rhodey.

 

He hesitantly brought his powers forward once more, focusing on the liquid within the cup instead of the cup itself. Tony was unsure if it would work, but he slowly lifted the liquid from the cup. The black coffee was surrounded by a nearly transparent blue glow. 

 

“Holy shit! You did it!” Rhodey exclaimed, brown eyes sparkling with shock and awe as he reached out, hesitantly touching the coffee and watching as it didn’t even drip.

 

Tony couldn’t help but puff his chest out with pride. “Of course I did, Platypus!” He replied happily. Careful to keep his concentration, Tony opened the coffee creamer and bowl of sugar, sending a stream of the creamer over to the coffee to mix with it. He spun around the liquid, watching it change to a lighter brown before he slowly lowered it back into the mug.

 

Once it was back in the cup, Tony brought the bowl of sugar and spoon over, using his powers on the spoon to add some sugar and stir the cup. He then gently floated the cup over to Rhodey. “Your caffeine, Colonel,” The genius dramatically declared.

 

Rhodey gave his best friend a fond look and replied,”Now you’re just trying to show off.”

 

“Guilty as charged,” Tony replied, placing a hand over his heart in an apologizing manner. He then floated the other coffee mug over to the machine. 

 

After he managed to place it in the right place, a thought entered his mind. Just how much can I manipulate objects? 

 

Instead of of returning to the machine to press the button, he focused hard on it, sending the flow of energy towards the button. He pushed the flow down in that one spot, feeling frustrated that nothing was happening… Until he heard a click.

 

The coffee machine started once more, and Rhodey turned his wide eyes to Tony. “Did you just turn it on!?”

 

A grin rose up on Tony’s face, opening his mouth to respond and-

 

_BANG!_

_  
_

 

Tony let out a cry of surprise, jumping away as the machine suddenly exploded. Dum-E beeped frantically, quickly rolling over to where the fire extinguisher was while Butterfingers nudged the pile nervously. 

 

The genius looked down at his hand, realizing exactly what happened. “I uh.. I guess I still don’t know my own strength..” He admitted with a chuckle.

 

Rhodey’s response was to scoff, rolling his eyes as he muttered,”No shit, Sherlock.”

 

Dum-E screeched to a stop, fire extinguisher in hand, prepared to spray the non-existent fire. Quickly, Tony quickly unleashed his powers and forced the extinguisher from the robot hand, floating it up to a high shelf. “No thank you! I think we’re fine buddy!” The genius exclaimed.

 

The robot beeped sadly, seemingly insulted by not behind allowed to douse something that was no on fire with a fire extinguisher. Before any more havoc could happen, Tony made sure to gather up all the broken pieces of the coffee machine and float them into the trash can nearby.

 

“Well, at least cleaning things up is much easier!” Tony mentioned happily, turning back to his best friend.

 

Rhodey still seemed confused. “I’m sorry, but.. How the fuck did you break that?! It’s metal!” He exclaimed,”You just stared at it for a bit and then BOOM!”

 

The genius gave a shrug, and replied,”I figured that if I can manipulate the whole object, maybe I can also manipulate only parts of it, so was putting pressure on the button using my powers… I guess I used a little too much pressure.”

 

“A  _ little? _ ” Rhodey queried sarcastically. 

 

Tony snorted, muttering an insult in reply, but his friend was still curious. “Well, before you destroyed it, you did turn it on. Maybe you just need practice?” Rhodey suggested.

 

Tony didn’t even need to think about what Rhodey suggested, because he knew his friend was right. “Hmm.. Dum-E! Go get those old keyboards! I wanna try something out,” He ordered the bot.

 

Dum-E, who had previously been moping in the corner, quickly squealed in excitement and rolled away. He returned with a few old keyboards, placing them at Tony’s feet like an excited dog. Tony made sure to give him a pat of thanks.

 

“Are you going to try and type something?” Rhodey guessed, rolling himself closer to the nearby computer screen.

 

After he plugged in the keyboard, Tony gave his friend a thumbs up. “Rightey-oh platypus!” He chirped, opening up an empty document, and tapping the keyboard buttons a few times to make sure it worked.

 

Once he saw the letters appeared on screen, Tony dropped into his own seat, and began to concentrate hard on the keyboard. He could feel and see the power surrounding it, but he had no idea how to press the keys without breaking it.

 

He lessened to grip surrounding the keyboard, and focused on the letter G. He tried to do the same thing he had done with the coffee machine. Unfortunately, a several year old keyboard did not have the durability of a metal contraption. Sure enough, the plastic covering on the G snapped off and flew across the room.

 

“Dammit!” Tony growled, the glow around the object glowing brightly with his emotions. But a hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his anger. 

 

Rhodey’s calming voice quickly said,”Hey, relax. Controlling it won’t always be easy. You just need time to get ahold of it. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

 

“When did you become an inspirational facebook quote, platypus?” Tony teased good naturedly, the smile on his face showing Rhodey he meant no harm with his sharp words.

 

His best friend returned the smile, and backed away once more; giving Tony some space. The genius turned his head back towards the offending keyboard, as an idea popped into his head. 

 

_ Rhodey is right, this isn’t as easy as just holding it. It’s more like the iron man suit… Maybe I need to be more.. Involved in this one. _ He decided. 

 

Tony closed his chocolate orbs, taking a deep breath. “Okay..” He whispered, while clearing his head. The genius imagined his own hands on the keyboard, typing out the message he wanted. As if fingers were actually pressing the keys..

 

_Click, click, click, clack, click._

_  
_

 

Rhodey’s excited noise nearly broke the concentration Tony had, but he forced his own excitement down. As soon as he completed the action inside his mind, he heard the clicking stop. Slowly, he released his powerful hold, and opened his eyes.

 

Instantly, Rhodey released the excitement he had been holding back. “Tony!” He yelled,”You did it! I knew you could!”

 

Tony was bursting with pride and happiness, the smile never leaving his face as he declared,”Praise yourself, platypus. I couldn’t have done it without you here to help.”

 

Spinning back around, the brunette happily chattered. “Well, considering I didn’t get to eat any of that food at the restaurant, what’s say you and I go make some food in the kitchen. I’m sure you’re still famished.”

 

Tony walked past his friend, his powers surrounding the wheels of the wheelchair and rolling them forward. The colonel squeaked in surprise, quickly pointing at the genius. “Okay, now you’re really showing off!” He snapped, unable to keep the amusement out of his tone.

 

The genius merely smirked in reply, letting the workshop door shut behind him. Also left behind was the message Tony had written, still shining brightly on the computer screen.

 

Growing without you.

 

\-- -- -- -- -- --

 

Neither Tony nor Rhodey felt any guilt for ordering and stuffing themselves full of pizza. They both knew they deserved it after such an eventful day. Afterwards, while practically melting into the couch, they both relaxed and casually drank their sodas while some soap opera played in the background. The vibrant lights of the city made the night a little less scary.

 

They remained silent for a while, simply enjoying the pizza and each other’s company. Rhodey’s mind, however, was anything but silent. As he chewed on his last bite of pizza, he thought about everything that happened recently. 

 

Rhodey turned his brown eyes away from the dramatic show, and moving them towards his best friend. Rhodey watched fondly as Tony floated several items around him, the gentle blue glow seeming to surround him. The sight brought a smile to the colonel’s face. 

 

He wouldn’t dare say it aloud,  but he could see how much happier Tony had been since discovering his new powers. Those chocolate eyes were glowing with happiness and youth. It had been such a long time since Rhodey had seen him that way. 

 

Ever since the attack on New York, the wrinkles had been growing, his eyes always had bags under them, and the ptsd was worse than ever. Seeing his friend relaxing, smiling, and just being himself was something that made Rhodey’s heart soar, and he hoped Tony would be able to keep that happiness for a long time.

 

_ Speaking of those powers… _ Rhodey suddenly remembered.  _ There was something I was wanting to ask.. _

 

“Hey Tony.. I was thinking about something…” He hesitantly began,”You know how Wanda can sort of bring her power out. Like, when she blasted Rogers off with his shield or when she swirls it around and uses it like a weapon?”

 

Tony’s eyes were on him, looking nervous at the mention of Wanda. “Yeah…?” He hesitantly replied.

 

“Do you think that you might be able to do something like that?” The colonel continued, growing worried when he saw the befuddled look Tony gave him. “I mean, your powers are kinda similar to hers and so I was thinking it would be cool to try out.”

 

Instantly after he finished, Rhodey could see the wheel’s turning in Tony’s head, and the curiosity gleaming in his eyes. The items that had previously been floating around him slowly lowered to the ground, and he replied,”I mean, it couldn’t hurt to try, right?”

 

Rhodey feverishly nodded as Tony leaned forward, bringing his calloused hands out in front of him. The blue glow appeared once more, and seemed to swirl towards the center of Tony’s hands. It reminded Rhodey of the Northern Lights with ho they were flowing.

 

Slowly, but surely, the light began to glow brighter, flowing in his hands and beginning to swirl around them. Tony’s eyes grew excited, as he held the sparkling mass a little higher. “Hey Fri, can you scan this for me? How much power do i give off?” The genius asked curiously.

 

“Just that amount in your hands is the equivalent to three miniaturized arc reactors, boss,” Friday responded, the surprise obvious in her voice.

 

“Holy shit,” Tony and Rhodey whispered in return, while Tony brought his hand closer to examine the flowing blue strands.

 

The genius then grew even more curious. He took his other hand, holding it over the energy and focusing hard. The blue energy began to swirl around into a misshapen ball, but Rhodey could see that Tony was struggling.

 

“What’s the matter?” He asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.

 

“It doesnt want to become a solid form,” Tony grunted out,”Like… I can’t really make anything out of it.”

 

Rhodey couldn’t help the smile that came up his face. “Well that isn’t surprising, considering that it’s your powers,” He teased,”It’s as uncontrollable as you!”

 

Tony rolled his eyes, but he knew Rhodey was right. Eventually, he grew annoyed and returned leaning back on the couch. “Ugh! I give up for now. I’m too tired to figure this out right now,” He grumbled.

 

Rhodey knew Tony would be trying again in less than twenty minutes. The stubborn brat wasn’t one to give up. Still, he was mesmerized by the powerful blue. He reached his hand out nervously, asking,”What does it feel like?”

 

Tony hummed. “It’s… Sort of like.. Part of me? It feels like a part of me, something warm and happy, that I have been missing my whole life,” He softly explained, a smile climbing up his face.

 

Rhodey nodded slowly, still unsure of what that could feel like. Tony seemed to notice this as well, and slowly held out the pulsing blue mass towards him. “Would you like to touch it?” He asked.

 

The colonel leaned back nervously. “I- Um… Is it safe?” He questioned, pointing at it as if it were a strange creature.

 

Tony shrugged in response, looking down at the power flowing around his hands. “I dunno, never done this before,” He replied easily.

 

Rhodey didn’t really have any fear towards Tony’s powers. He knew that Tony wouldn’t let anything happen to him, he trusted Tony with his life.

 

Slowly, carefully, Rhodey reached out towards the swirling mass of energy. As he got closer, the blue mass began to pulse. The colonel didn’t let that stop him, and slowly poked at the mass.

 

The next thing Rhodey knew, the blue mass exploded. The energy flew out of the misshapen mass and into everything around them. The lights become blindingly bright and then shattered. The tv instantly shut off, and everything in the tower went dark.

 

The two men released frantic gasps of surprise, Tony’s now blue-free hand was clinging to Rhodey’s, waiting for any danger that may come. When nothing happened, Tony released a nervous laugh.

 

“Okay, so now we know that I shouldn’t let others touch my powers…” He cheerfully declared,”Good thing we found that out without anything too crazy happening.”

 

Rhodey grabbed Tony’s wrist, firmly saying,”Look out the window and try to tell me that again.”

 

Tony frowned, turning back to look out the large windows of his living room. Instead of the bright, vibrant city that usually surrounded the tower. The lights of every building, screen, and anything else remotely electronic had completely shut off. Other than the lights of the cars, all he saw was darkness. 

 

“Well, shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Tony's mistake sends Ross on a rampage


	6. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ross demands a meeting, and Tony's powers expand once more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was longer than normal chapters and WAS going to be even longer but I decided to split it into two parts. Expect chapter seven sooner than later since I'm already halfway done with it

As soon as Tony realized what he caused, he knew there was going to be trouble. Thankfully, it took several hours to completely fix the power because of the sheer size of New York City, giving the genius plenty of time to prepare for any oncoming storm. 

 

Power had been completely returned to the city, and it took less than a half hour for Tony’s phone to start ringing. Rhodey, who had been staying with his best friend at the tower, instantly cringed. He realized Tony’s prediction about them being bothered quickly was correct.

 

“Who’s calling?” The colonel asked, voice flowing with dread.

 

“Who do you think?” Tony bluntly replied, turning his phone around to show the bright text which read ‘Thaddeus Ross’. Rhodey’s face twisted up with annoyance, shoving a pillow over his face in order to muffle his groan of hatred.

 

Knowing that avoiding the call would only lead to more problems, Tony answered the call, pressed the speaker button, and hovered the phone above his hand. “Secretary Ross!” He cheerfully called,”How are you on this fine, power using day?”

 

“Cut the politeness, Stark,” The gruff voice answered,”That’s not what I’m calling for. I’m calling about the incident.”

 

Tony and Rhodey nervously exchanged a glance, before Tony returned to his fake happy voice. “Uh.. What incident are we talking about? You have to remember who you’re talking to, Ross,” He teased.

 

“ _ Secretary  _ Ross to you,” The man practically hissed. “I don’t have time for your games, Stark. We’ll be having a meeting at the Avengers compound at three o’clock today. Be there.”

 

The phone went to dial tone right after. Tony rolled his eyes at the man’s attitude, sending his phone to the nearby coffee table. “Okay, well I guess I’m going to have a meeting with Mr. High-And-Mighty today. Joy.”

 

“ _ We’re _ going to have a meeting with him,” Rhodey quickly cut in. “If he’s going to talk about what I think he is, it’s better we go together.”

 

Tony smiled towards his friend, his heart warming up at the support.  _ Rhodey really is the only one who has always been there for me. _ He realized. “Of course,” He answered,”I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

Not looking to make Ross at all suspicious, Tony and Rhodey made sure to arrive early. Entering the Avengers compound did not bring Tony any good memories. Last time he had been at the compound, Natasha was warning him to watch his back. Before that, he and Steve… 

 

The genius quickly shook his head. Now is not the time to think about that. Focus on something else. As if agreeing, he found his eyes catching sight of the very nervous looking Vision nearby. When he saw Tony looking at him, he took that as invitation to move closer.

 

“Hey Vis, you been alright here by yourself?” Rhodey asked from his wheelchair, while Tony noticed how quickly Vision’s eyes filled with guilt. 

 

The android looked away from the wheelchair bound man, quietly saying,”I’ve been alright. It’s just… Quiet.”

 

“You know that you’re welcome to come stay at the tower,” Tony reminded him. “That offer has always been open and will stay open.”

 

Vision nodded again, softly replying,”I may take your offer. It’s empty here now.”

 

Nobody knew how to respond to the depressing statement, considering it was true. A blanket of tension covered them, and none of them were really sure how to break the silence. Tony was about to resign himself to awkward small talk until Ross decided to make an appearance… When he noticed how Vision was staring at him.

 

Those green eyes seemed to stare deep into Tony’s soul, filled with curiosity. Instantly, Tony grew worried.  _ Of course, why didn’t I think about this? _ He berated himself, but it was too late to back out.

 

“Mr. Stark…” Vision hesitantly began,”There’s something different about you…”

 

Tony gave a nervous laugh. “There shouldn’t be. Frostbite and super soldier injuries wore off a couple days ago,” He joked, half hoping that the mention of Siberia would surprise the android long enough so he could escape the conversation.

 

“That’s not it,” Vision declared.

 

_ Shit. _ The genius frantically thought, forcing his facade to remain stable. 

 

“It’s something else… Something new,” Vision vaguely answered. “It feels like… Mr. Stark, do you… Have p-”

 

The door near them suddenly hissed open, revealing Secretary Ross, hands full of files and a coffee mug, and his secret service men. Tony had never felt such a mixture of relief and dread before, but he quickly took advantage of the situation.

 

Whipping away from Vision, the genius quickly exclaimed,”Welcome to our humble hero abode! Glad that you could make it, Secretary Ross! Shall we get this party started?”

 

Ross narrowed his eyes at the genius, and firmly answered,”In the meeting room. This is important and classified.”

 

The man pushed past the group of heroes, and Tony was quick to follow. He couldn’t help a but get quick look at Vision; the android’s expression told Tony that their conversation was indeed not over.

 

Once they all got into the meeting room, Ross wasted no time getting started. “I’m here about the power outage that happened across New York,” He began.

 

Quickly hiding his panic, Tony held up his hands and declared,”Believe it or not, for once this wasn’t me.”   
  


Just as Rhodey was about to yell at Tony or hit him under the table for practically giving himself away, he heard Ross say. “I know it wasn’t you, Stark.”

 

Tony seemed just as surprised as him. “Really?” He croaked, before quickly continuing. “Well, finally! Someone believes me! See, Platypus, I told you it wasn’t my fault but did you believe me? Of course not!”

 

The colonel let out a sigh of relief, and played along. “Oh yeah, because the other 99.9% of the time doesn’t warrant my suspicion?” He teased.

 

Before Tony could quip back, Ross quickly interrupted them. “Quiet down! Your childish antics are not what I care about right now!” He snapped. “While the power outage wasn’t your fault, we found something. There were traces of a foreign power within it… One that felt much like Maximoff’s.”

 

Silence reigned for a few minutes, the two best friends unsure of how to get away without casting any suspicion on themselves. Finally, Tony forced out a question. “W-was is Maximoff?” He asked.

 

“No,” Ross answered,”We analyzed the two the best we could. Maximoff’s is much more uncontrolled or erratic. If it was her, I doubt the wires would have survived.”

 

Tony instantly realized what Ross was alluding to. “So.. You think there’s a new hero out there somewhere?” He asked.

 

“Hero, no. Fugitive? Yes.” Ross declared.

 

“F-fugitive?! But they haven’t done anything!” Tony stuttered out.

 

”I’m not taking anymore chances or making any more mistakes. I want you to hunt them down,” The man demanded again.

 

Tony frowned, not liking where the conversation was headed. “Seriously, sir. Wouldn’t it be better to try and recruit this person? The Avengers only has me, Rhodey, and Vision. If anything serious happens, we’ll need more help.”

 

“You’ll be fine! I want this person arrested before they do anything else!” The Secretary of State snapped, narrowing his eyes toward the brunette.

 

Rhodey realized that Ross was getting suspicious of Tony’s refusal, and quickly added,”But they haven’t done anything! Maybe we could just… Y’know.. Talk to them! And then maybe they’ll-”

 

“One more refusal like that, Rhodes, and I’ll have you arrested for treason. It won’t be very hard to catch you now,” The man snarled.

 

Instantly, Tony felt rage explode inside him. The coffee cup in front of Ross suddenly fell forward, staining the front of the man’s pants. Then, the back leg of the chair he sat in snapped off, sending the secretary falling over with a cry of surprise and pain.

 

The secret service men quickly jumped into action, helping the man up from the ground. “Sir! Are you alright?” One of them asked, only to be quickly pushed away by Ross.

 

“Leave me be! I’m fine! Go get the helicopter started or something!” He snapped. The secret service men had the dignity to look insulted at being treated like glorified butlers, before heading out of the door.

 

Ross quickly gathered what little dignity he himself had left, and pointed at the group. “Find them. That’s an order,” He demanded with as much gusto as he could, and scrambled to the door.

 

The group of heroes nodded quickly, watching the man leave. None of them moved, spoke, or even seemed to breathe until Friday’s calm voice broke them of their petrification. “Secretary Ross has left the premises. Good work, Boss,” She said.

 

Instantly, Vision’s green eyes landed on Tony. “So it  _ was _ you,” He declared,”When Secretary Ross spoke badly of Colonel Rhodes, I felt the energy that seems to surround you now lash out.”

 

Tony didn’t even try to deny Vision’s declaration, seemingly too overwhelmed by his anger. He jerked up from his seat, pacing back and forth to try and calm himself down. It was no use, his fists were clenched and eyes glowing a violent blue. Vision nearly fell over from the amount of sheer power flowing out. 

 

“That bastard!” Tony snarled,”I didn’t even mean to do that, but now I wish I’d done something much worse!”

 

The energy in the room was thick and overwhelming for both Rhodey and the android. Things- from cups to even chairs and tables -around the room started to float, or even fly across and hit another wall. An abandoned coffee mug on the table even shattered. Vision was almost afraid of how much power his creator now held, but he knew that if they wanted the compound to survive, Tony needed to calm down.

 

Vision quickly floated over to his creator, grabbing his shoulders in an effort to calm him. “Mr. Stark,” He tried, but almost pulled away instantly, overwhelmed by the amount of power flowing within the man. 

 

The android pushed aside his fear of the raw energy and- without thinking -snapped,”Sir!” 

 

The familiarity of Vision’s voice caused Tony to start, all the floating objects clattered to the floor. Seeing his chance, Vision continued. 

 

“Calm down. We won’t be able to hide this secret from Ross if you can’t control yourself,” He firmly stated. 

 

Those words seemed to help tremendously. Tony’s glowing blue eyes began to dim, and Vision felt the power slowly return back into Tony. The genius then closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths. When he opened his eyes once more, they were back to their chocolate gaze. 

 

“Thanks Vis,” Tony carefully answered,”I just-  _ Ugh _ . That guy pisses me off. I thought I was able to hide it.”

 

Rhodey quickly shook his head. “There’s no hiding that, Tones,” He declared,”Your eyes were  _ glowing _ .”

 

Tony looked away, releasing a few expletives as he went. Vision quickly grabbed the brunette’s hand again. “Do not be ashamed,” Vision replied,”Despite how calm I seem, the Secretary often leaves me frustrated.”

 

Rhodey snorted. “I don’t think  _ anyone _ likes him!” He said,”Did you see that dude’s face when Ross told him to start the helicopter? I was half expecting him to throw the rest of the coffee at him!”

 

Tony chuckled at the thought, imagining the pterodactyl screech the old man would make if such a thing happened. His amusement quickly ebbed away, however, and filled up with worry. “I need to control myself better…” He stated,”If Ross had seen my eyes glow like that, or if I had gotten too violent, we’d have been screwed.”

 

“It is not so much you as it was your emotions,” Vision comforted,”It was stable until you got angry.”

 

Tony instantly caught on. “Because I was mad at Ross… I let my power flow out. So, if we want to keep this secret from assholes like him, I need to reign it in.”

 

Vision nodded firmly, but Rhodey’s smile grew even wider… And more mischievous. “Or,” He began,”You could not, and we could pretend he’s being targeted by someone.”

 

Tony couldn’t help the smile rising on his face. “Platypus-”

 

Rhodey didn’t give Tony a chance to say anything more. “I can see the headlines now! The evil villain that caused the power outage took Poor Secretary Ross’s sanity away! Whatever shall the country do now?!”

 

Unable to curb his amusement any longer, Tony dramatically held his heart and threw his head back. “The agony! The terror,” He exclaimed,”Somebody save Ross from… From..”

 

“Floating coffee cups!” Vision helpfully added. “An adversary more dangerous than Ultron!”

 

Tony couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. Rhodey was quick to follow, while Vision merely glowed with happiness. 

 

Suddenly, the thought of Ross catching on didn’t seem so scary, because Tony knew he wouldn’t be alone.

 

\-- -- -- -- -- --

 

In order to keep up the charade that he was actively searching for the new ‘vigilante’, Tony and rhodey remained at the Avengers compound for the next couple of weeks. Not that Vision was bothered, in fact he enjoyed the company.

 

Besides doing some token research on the ‘vigilante’, Tony also worked on more important things. He started designing some prosthetics for Rhodey, and examining how own powers further. Vision was actually very helpful with the latter.

 

The more time he spent around the android, the more his powers began to flourish. Just like how Vision could sense his powers, Tony began to feel the same. He could see where the stone’s powers spread and where Vision’s actual life force was. Strangely enough, he could sense Rhodey’s as well. It was much weaker than his or Vision’s, but Tony knew that was because his best friend was only a human.

 

_ Wait… Aren’t I still human? _ Tony wondered. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure. The powers seemed so natural, Tony could have claimed he was a mutant. But mutants usually had their powers from the beginning. Could it be from an outside source? Tony really didn’t know.

 

Another thing Vision gave him was curiosity. There were things Vision could do that Tony wanted to see if he could do. The main one, out of all of them, was flying.

 

Tony waited a bit to bring it up until they had all relaxed a bit. Then, while he was working on Rhodey’s prosthetics, he invited the android down to his workshop in the Avengers compound. (Because of course he installed one).

 

“You wanted to see me?” Vision asked as he phased through the wall… Right next to the open door.

 

Tony ignored that, gently putting down the pieces of metal, and standing up. “Yes! Vis! I had a question for you… About your flying,” He slowly breached, wringing his hands together.

 

Vision seemed to know know right away what the brunette wanted to know. “Yes?” He questioned again. 

 

“I um…” Tony began, balancing on the balls of his feet. “I was wondering, how do you fly? Like.. What do you do?” 

 

Vision wasn’t surprised by the question. Instead, he released a soft, thoughtful noise. “How do I fly?” He echoed,”Well… I don’t really  _ do  _ anything. It’s more like an instinct. I feel it in me and I just… Know.”

 

The genius frowned, he didn’t really know what to do with that. He was an engineer, he liked firm, concise answers. “I don’t understand…” 

 

“Well… Think of it this way,” Vision replied,”Powers are part of you, and often connected to every nerve, to everything you feel. How do you feel about them? What was your first feeling, first instinct?”

 

After that thought was planted, Vision phased back out of the room. Tony merely stayed where he was, falling into deep thought.  _ Instinct? _ Tony never really thought about how he had first felt when it happened, considering how much had happened since then. 

 

He remembered back at the tower, when he first realized he indeed had powers. The feeling of it flowing through him. He had been happy… He had felt free.

 

Yes… That was it! Freedom. From the second he discovered his abilities, he had felt a form of freedom he’d never known possible. It was an animalistic, powerful feeling. His power couldn’t be stopped, couldn’t be tamed, couldn’t be controlled because.. Because it was  _ his _ .

 

Suddenly Tony knew exactly what to do. He let his power surround him, sinking into every body part, nerve, and cell. In an instant his feet were off the ground. He flew up with no effort, because he just  _ knew _ how to do it. Using his powers in such a way was instinct, just as Vision had said. 

 

A wide smile overcame his face, hand completely against the ceiling, and looking down to the floor, several feet below him.

 

Removing his hand from the ceiling, he let himself glide around the room. He figured out how to lower himself, and raise back up. Tony was in complete awe of just how right it felt. 

 

_ And I thought flying in the Iron Man Suit was awesome.  _ He marveled.  _ This… This is amazing!!  _

 

A whoosh of a door opening cut through Tony’s excited thoughts. “Hey Tones, I was wondering when do we wanna test the- AAH!!” 

 

The genius whipped around in the air and saw a wide eyed Rhodey pointing at him. Despite the shock in his eyes, he was smiling wide. “Y-you’re flying!” He exclaimed,”Tony! You can fly!” 

 

The genius was instantly filled with warmth again as he lowered himself to the ground. Rhodey’s happiness and his new achievement reminded him of his own words back in 2008. And he couldn’t help but repeat them again. 

 

“Yeah, I can fly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: A cell phone arrives, and Tony starts a chain of events he could never have predicted


	7. Revealing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony receives a package, and starts something big

Of course, the world couldn’t let them be happy for long.

 

On one of the first days they had been testing Rhodey’s new leg braces, that damn delivery came. At first, Tony didn’t realize what it was; He was too busy laughing at ‘Tony Stank’ along with his best friend. But then, he opened up the cardboard box and discovered exactly what was within it.

 

_ That bastard. That fucking bastard. He couldn’t just leave well enough alone could he? He still has to act like the team leader.  _ Tony thought, an angered growl escaping his throat.  _ What kind of sick fucking joke is this?! You leave me in Siberia to die and now you want to act like you care?! _

 

Tony’s fists tightened and began shaking, his eyes glowing a bright, raging blue color. Things around him began to crack, shake, or float again. The overwhelming anger and pain within him overcame any sense he had.

 

Rhodey turned around just in time to notice the oncoming storm. _ What’s going on?!  _ He stumbled over to the brunette, shaking his shoulder. “Tony? Tony! What’s wrong?! What’s going on?” He quickly demanded, feeling the volatile energy in the air grow thicker.

 

Those glowing blue eyes whipped around, and Rhodey could see the tears tumbling down those cheeks. Before the Colonel could even open his mouth to speak, the open box was shoved into his chest, and the genius hurried away. 

 

Rhodey stumbled back from the force of the push, but couldn’t bring himself to be mad. He saw how upset Tony was, and they already knew that his powers reacted to his emotions. But what could have caused such a reaction?

 

His chocolate eyes turned to look down at the container Tony had shoved into his arms, moving the tiny phone aside and focusing on the note that came with it. 

 

Before he had even finished reading, the burning anger was rising within him. The letter was close to tearing from how tight Rhodey was squeezing it. “Fucking asshole!” He yelled toward the ink. “What fucking game are you trying to play?!”

 

Vision, having sensed the anger emanating from Tony and heard Rhodey’s yell, quickly phased into the room. “Rhodey?” He hesitantly asked,”What’s going on?”

 

Rhodey didn’t respond, merely pushing the offending box into Vision’s hand for him to read. He then turned up to the ceiling, his anger being replaced with worry for his best friend. “Friday! Where’s Tony?!” He demanded, already reaching for his coat.

 

Friday’s voice was worried as well. “Boss has left the facility and the premises,” She declared, though there was a tone of concern laced in.

 

Rhodey was already at the door and ready to chase after his friend, but Vision’s hand on his wrist stopped him. “Rhodes, wait,” He ordered,”Let’s give Tony some time to himself. He needs this.”

 

“But what if… What if something happens?!” He asked,”His powers could break something… Ross could find out.”

 

Vision gently pulled the man away from the door. “I have a feeling that being in the Avengers Facility would not help him calm down.”

 

The words finally broke through his anger, and Rhodey saw the truth in the android’s words. Rogers was the one who sent the letter, the facility was full of memories of the super soldier.  _ He  _ **_did_ ** _ tell me that the memories were why he didn’t come back to the facility right away… _

 

The colonel closed his eyes, forcing a deep breath out of his strong chest. “You’re right… You’re right,” He admitted,”But when he comes back, we’re talking about this phone-letter bullshit.”

 

“Of course,” Vision agreed, looking back down at the letter he still held. Despite his attempts to stay neutral, he couldn’t deny the anger he felt towards Rogers for toying with his creator’s emotions after leaving him to freeze to death. In Rhodey’s eyes, there was the same protective gaze. He knew that the colonel was thinking exactly what he was.

 

_Rogers… You’re lucky we don’t know where you are hiding._

_  
_

 

\-- -- -- -- -- --

 

Tony didn’t exactly know where he was headed, he just wanted to get as far away from the facility as possible. He drove, and drove, and drove, eventually finding himself in Albany. Although he didn’t know what pushed him to go to the capital, maybe he just wanted to be in a city again. 

 

Deciding he might as well stay and cool down, he parked in the first hidden spot he could find, quickly grabbing his spare hoodie and sunglasses from the glove compartment. Being recognized wasn’t really on his list of things to do, and he could guarantee  it was good to be swarmed by people when his powers were still trying to lash out wasn’t a good idea.

 

He merged with the crowds, careful to avoid contact as much as possible as he wandered towards nowhere in particular. In the time it took him to drive to the city, the grey cloud had climbed over the city; The world matched Tony’s mood…  _ How cliche.  _

 

The drive, thankfully, seemed to have dissipated most of his rage. What replaced it, however, was yearning and sadness.  _ I still don’t understand… Why send the phone after nearly killing me? What were you hoping to gain from this, Rogers? _

 

No matter how much he tried to find an answer, nothing came to him. Part of him wanted to believe that Rogers cared about him.  _ If he did, he would have told me what really happened to my mom.  _

 

Tony could feel the burning power flowing out once more, and forced himself to release several deep, desolate breaths.  _ Stop thinking about it, I can’t change anything now. Just focus on the city, relax. I need to cool down. _ He told himself.

 

With that thought in mind, Tony continued to maneuver through the streets. He shifted to thoughts of coffee, and what place would be the best to get some. Should he get some for Rhodey and Vision? The sounds of the city, which were wonderfully familiar, helped him to tune everything out and start to relax. 

 

But something shrill broke through his haze.

 

Something that sounded like a scream.

 

Tony tensed, coming to a sudden stop. He heard the person behind him stumble, angrily grumbling about the sudden stop, but that wasn’t what he was focused on. His brown eyes looked towards the opening between the two buildings. He swore he heard a scream, but now there was nothing. Was he hearing things too?

 

He moved closer, his ears reaching out. Sure enough, he heard a frantic sob, and the sound of something colliding against metal. Unable to stop his body, Tony found himself heading towards the noises once again; All thoughts of Rogers and the stupid phone fading away.

 

As he got closer, he reached his powers out, searching for life forces. Sure enough, he felt three. One that was smaller and weaker, and two others that felt evil… Dangerous. Tony’s eyes began to glow blue, his desire to help overcoming everything else. 

 

Soon, he heard the voices easily. There was the sound of rummaging as someone growled. “Damn, she ain’t got nuthin’!” A deep, gruff voice bemoaned,”What the fuck we supposed to do?”

 

He heard the click of something.  _ A gun, the gun’s safety is off.  _ And a girl’s voice whimpered. “Huh, ya’ can go to NYU but can’t afford some pocket cash? Fucking useless!” Another, higher voice sneered. The girl whimpered frantically once more. 

 

They went silent for a while. Then, the higher voice chuckled; A noise that was filled with desire and sadistic glee. “But… I know another way you can repay us for our troubles, what do you say?” 

 

The girl cried out again. “No! NO! Please don’t! Please stop!” She screamed, and there was the sound of struggling.

 

“Shut the fuck up, and I’ll make it quick!”

 

Tony couldn’t stand idly by any longer, he turned the corner, hand outstretched. The shaggy haired man who had been on top of the girl was thrown into the nearby wall. His partner, a muscular guy, quickly jumped to his feet. Tony turned to watch him.

 

“What the hell?!” The gruff voice exclaimed, hand reaching into his back pocket. Tony didn’t give him the chance to do anything, yanking anything out of the man’s pockets and lifting him up into the air.

 

The bravery seemed to fade once he was dangling fifteen feet in the air. Tony slammed him against the wall too, unable to hold back. 

 

“Look out!”

 

The girl’s voice alerted him, blue eyes seeing the blur coming towards him. Tony quickly lifted himself off the ground as well, watching the shaggy man punch at air and Tony sent the nearby trash can towards him, slamming back into the man’s legs; He flipped around, crashing onto his back. The gun he had previously been holding clattered to the ground.

 

Blue soon surrounded him as well, and he floated up to the same height as his partner. Careful to keep concentrating, Tony turned his blue eyes to the woman. Her wide green eyes stared at him in awe and relief. “Go get help,” He ordered. Determination returned to her green orbs, and she took off out of the alleyway.

 

The genius turned his attention back to the criminals, who were now crying out and whimpering fearfully. “Please stop! Please let us down! Stop this!” The scruffy man exclaimed.

 

“That young woman asked you the very same thing and you didn’t. Why should I?” Tony hissed.

 

\-- -- -- -- --

 

About five minutes later, two officers ran into the alleyway, guns drawn. Before he could even find the words to yell, however, his eyes caught sight of the floating criminals. They dropped to the ground seconds after.

 

The young woman had followed them, and caught sight of her bag- all its contents back inside -floating towards her. It gently landed in her arms, and she found herself looking back up towards the buildings. She saw him, the one who saved her. Those blue eyes keeping a close watch. 

 

Her heart filled with warmth. She had thought he had left, but he hadn’t. He was making sure justice was served. A smile came up her bloodied lips, green eyes glowing once again. With her purse hugged close to her chest, she softly said,”Thank you.”

 

Those glowing blue eyes seemed to glow a little brighter in response, letting her know he had heard her. The cops saw where she was looking, turning their own eyes just in time to see those eyes fade away.

 

A few minutes later, the two criminals were in handcuffs and one of the cops was asking her to come with them for questioning. She held no fear, and followed them with her head held high. 

 

\-- -- -- -- -- --

 

Tony waited until the woman was safe to finally drop onto a nearby roof. He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling extremely tired. It was the first time had had used his powers in combat, and even though it was tiring he felt so proud. Justice had been served.

 

The pride, however, was quickly replaced with a realization- and fear -about what he had done. _ Oh god. I used my powers. In public. In front of people.  _

 

His hands went to his face.  _ Did my disguise cover me the whole time?! Was I covered enough?! _

 

Tony’s breathing started to speed up, helping him realize that he was starting to panic. “Okay, calm down Tony. Calm down. There’s nothing you can do now. What’s done is done,” He forced out of his tight throat. “Besides, I have no regrets. No one else was helping.”

 

The genius, now thoroughly calmed, carefully headed back to his car and kept away from cameras. He needed to get back to the Facility before anything happened, before Ross caught wind. 

 

Tony resigned himself to whatever fate would follow his actions and hope it all went away quick; but in the back of his mind he knew he had just started something big.

 

— — — — — — 

 

By the time Tony had gotten back to the facility and told Vision and Rhodey what he did, news had already broken. 

 

The woman’s claims were backed up by the police, as all three ended up getting interviewed by news outlets. There was praise and curiosity practically oozing out of every article written, all desperate to find out who the mysterious hero was. 

 

But no one was as desperate as Secretary Ross.

 

From what Tony found out by hacki- asking around, as soon as Ross heard about what happened, he had demanded footage from all cameras in the area of the attack, but he found nothing. 

 

The next thing he tried was interrogating the woman Tony had saved, the cops, and even the criminals. Luckily (for Tony) none of them had gotten a good look at Tony’s face, or any look from what he heard.

 

A week after the incident, Ross was finally enraged enough to call Tony.

 

The genius was in his workshop, tinkering with Rhodey’s leg braces when the phone rang. Without even stopping to think about it, Tony floated his phone over to him, tapping the call and speaker button quickly, and casually saying,”Hello?.”

 

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU, STARK!?”

 

Tony practically flew into the air, his screwdriver falling onto the desk, and his phone dropping out of the air. He scrambled to catch it, bringing it back to his ear. Once his heart started to calm down again, he hesitantly asked,”W-what are you talking about?”

 

Ross had the audacity to scoff. “Don’t act like you don’t know. It’s been all over the news this week. That vigilante showed himself again, and you are doing  _ nothing _ to stop them!” He yelled.

 

Tony stuck his pinkie finger in his ear, checking to see if the screeching had made his ears bleed before he responded,”I don’t know if you know this, Ross, but _ I _ was looking for them in New York.  _ They _ were in Albany. How was I supposed to predict that?”

 

To his surprise, Ross scoffed again. “Of course. I’m not sure what I should have been expecting from  _ you. _ ”

 

The frown on the brunette’s face deepened. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

 

“You couldn’t even keep the Avengers together,” The secretary spat. “You couldn’t even stop two criminals from breaking your high tech suit and-”

 

Tony quickly interrupted. “Hey those ‘two people’ were fucking super soldiers. I’m only human!”

 

“You couldn’t even stop them from escaping in the quinjet, an aircraft  _ you _ designed! I’ve obviously been expecting too much from you.”

 

Tony didn’t dare speak, afraid of what venom might escape from his own jaws. That didn’t stop Ross, however, who let out his true feelings without a second thought.

 

“I’m beginning to doubt how effective you are as a leader… And an avenger. Tell you what, I’ll give you some motivation,” He declared,”Find and apprehend this vigilant, Stark, or the Avengers new base will be prison cells on the raft.”

 

_Click._

_  
_

 

It was good thing Ross hung up when he did, as seconds later Tony’s phone shattered into hundreds of pieces. He opened his calloused hand, staring down at the pieces in his hand with glowing blue eyes. Then, with an angry growl, he threw the rubbish aside.

 

“You bastard! You motherfucking- AGH!” He yelled again, kicking his chair away. Ross had already been frustrating him. But to threaten to arrest them all over an individual who they had no clue about was ridiculous.

 

“Hey thinks he can control us with those kinds of threats! Like we’re just toys or in his little game,” Tony declared. His glowing blue eyes turned back down to his desk as he tried to calm down. An idea suddenly popped into the hero’s mind, a smile coming onto his face.

 

Tony moved to his desk, opening a nearby notebook, his pencil going across the paper as he said,”Secretary Ross, you have no idea what you’ve just started. You have no clue what I’ capable of.”

 

Placing hi pencil down, Tony stared at the masterpiece that was below him. “Friday, can you start fabricating this?” He asked.

 

With a realization of what her creator was planning, Friday chirped,”Yes boss!” And began working right away.

 

Tony gave a thankful nod, the smile on his face growing much wider. He turned back to the page, staring down at it with pride.

 

“You wanna play games, Ross? Fine, let’s play.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: A strange new superhero makes an appearance...


	8. Debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new hero makes his debut, and Wanda watches the news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn! Sorry this took so long, I was struggling with how to begin this chapter, but I hope you enjoy!

The day had started off so normal for Frank; Wake up, get dressed, have a quick breakfast, and headed to his job in New York City. He worked in a large account firm in one of the many skyscrapers, kind of boring some time but work couldn’t always be exciting. 

 

He had just sat down as his desk with his coffee, getting ready to work… And then it started. 

 

Gunshots rang through the air, causing several people to scream and jump from their seats. Frank leaped to his feet as well, looking over his cubicle to the sound. His brown eyes widened, heart seizing in terror as he saw several mask men completely decked out in weapons. 

 

The group quickly blocked all the exits, and the few steps it took to do that caused many people in the office to scream again.

 

“ _ SHUT UP! _ ” One of the buffer men yelled,”Make this easy for us, or you’ll all die!” 

 

The room almost went completely silent, the only sound was the frantic breathing of several of the office works. The buff man watched them all for a second, and then spoke up again. “You’re going to give us all your codes for the accounts you manage, along with anything else you have on hand. If you have any account information for other companies…”

 

Frank watched the men carefully, while reaching for the landline in his cubicle. He lifted the phone up, placing it down slowly on the surface of his desk. He then reached his shaky fingers forward, desperately trying to call for help… 

 

“Hey!” An angry voice yelled, and Frank’s plot was stopped as someone grabbed the back of his dress shirt and pulled him back. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?” 

 

The masked man looked at his desk, and snarled. Frank gulped, knowing that the man could probably see the nine and one displayed on the landline. “You bastard, trying to call for help?!” The man sneered, shaking him.

 

“No, no!” Frank tried to say, hands trembling as he held them up. “I just- I was already- I swear to god I- Please don’t kill me!!!”   
  


The man stared at him for a moment, turning to wave at the buffer man. “What should we do with him, boss?” He asked.

 

The buffer man narrowed his dark eyes, looking around the room. His eyes stopped on the nearby window, those same eyes filling with a sadistic glee. He raised his gun, shooting the glass until it completely shattered. 

 

“Throw him out the window,” The man said once enough of the glass was gone. “That’ll teach the rest of them a lesson!”

 

The man holding Frank dragged him towards the open window, and Frank cried out in terror while desperately trying to get away. “Oh god! Please no! PLEASE!” He screamed,”This is the sixteenth floor, I’ll- I’ll die!!”

 

“That’s the point, dipshit!” The man yelled,”Guess you should have just kept your mouth shut, huh? Nighty night!”

 

Frank screamed as he fell through the window, the wind whistling in his ears and his body spinning around in the air as the ground sped towards him. Closer, closer, and closer- Frank could only shut his eyes and wait for the pain of death.

 

Only seconds after he gave in, Frank felt himself collide with something… But it wasn’t the ground. Instead, he felt arms holding him in a bridal style. His eyes snapped open, turning to look up.

 

The man found himself staring at the glowing blue eyes of his savior, who was clad in a black suit with a matching cloak which had a hood that covered most of the head. Underneath that, the stranger wore a black mask that covered his face and neck and he had black gloves and boots that had blue rings around them.

 

Frank blinked blearily, looking around them. It was then he realized they were still in their air… His savior was flying.

 

“Are you alright?” The hero asked in a quiet voice, and Frank found that all he could do was blink and nod once.

 

The blue eyed stranger didn’t react outwardly, and instead floated back down to the group and shocked citizens. He gently set Frank down on his feet, never touching the ground himself. Then, he turned and took off into the sky again, heading towards the very window Frank had just been thrown out of. 

 

All the citizens could only watch in awe as the new hero went, and wonder who could be under that mask.

 

— — — — — — — 

 

Tony took in a deep breath as he flew towards the window that the man had just been thrown out of. He could see one of the criminals watching him, and so Tony made sure to speed up. 

 

He looked some of his power into his hand, balling it into a fist, and slammed it into the man’s head. The man screamed out in pain and flew across the room, slamming into the back wall.

 

The other masked criminals turned to look at Tony in shock, seemingly frozen by what they had just witnessed. One, a buffer one, was shaking in anger.

  
  


“What are you all waiting for!?” He demanded, pulling up automatic rifle. “Shoot the bastard!!” 

 

Tony quickly summoned a blue, bubble like shield to surround himself. The bullets slammed into it and then sadly dropped onto the ground. Despite seeing this, the criminals kept shooting at him, probably hoping to break through the barrier.  _ They won’t give up unless I stop them.  _

 

The genius quickly formulated a plan. He concentrated on keeping his shield up, and then used his other hand to send his powers outward. He yanked the guns from their hands and lifted them into the air. 

 

_ I made the coffee maker explode when I put too much pressure on it, let’s see if I can replicate that! _

 

He concentrated, pushing all of his powers into the weapons. Sure enough, the metal guns began to crumble and gold on on themselves until they were nothing but scraps of metal. 

 

Tony then released them from his powers, purposefully letting the pieces rain onto the remaining criminals.

 

One of the shaking criminals finally seemed to have enough. With an angry yell, he charged at Tony with his fists tightened. 

 

He quickly threw a punch, and Tony floated above the ground and moved to the side. Instead of hitting him, the man fell out the window with a high pitched scream. 

 

Tony made sure the man landed safely, but roughly on the ground below as he kept an eye on the other men. There were five left.  _ Incapacite them, that’s all you have to do.  _

 

With that in mind, Tony grabbed one with his powers, sending him flying into the ceiling and then crashing back onto the floor. He then picked up their unconscious body, throwing it into the man standing nearby who didn’t try to get up again.  _ Wow, they might have a brain after all.  _

 

He turned to the other two men, who stared at him in shock and then raised their hands. “I give up!” One of them exclaimed. 

 

The one who Tony guessed was the leader turned to them in anger. “What!?” He yelled,”What do you mean you give up!?”

 

“He crushed our fucking guns just by looking at them!” The second one yelled back,”Some bank codes ain’t worth this shit!” 

 

The leader growled, and snapped,”Fine! You wanna be that way?! I’ll take us all out then!” 

 

He ripped off his jacket, revealing bombs attached to his body. Tony’s eyes widened, seeing the countdown had already started. Ten seconds.  _ MOVE!  _

 

The people in the office screamed, but Tony couldn’t stop to listen. He grabbed the leader by the straps of the bomb jacket, and ripped off the explosives.

 

“Haha!” The leader laughed,”That won’t work~” 

 

_ But I know what will! _ Tony thought, quickly putting his blue shield around the bombs and then raising them into the air. The explosion within was so hard that Tony almost lost his grip, pain shooting up his nerves. But, the bubble held everything in. 

 

He narrowed his blue eyes, turning back to where the leader stood with a face of shock. Tony slammed his fist into the face with much more force than was necessary, knocking the man out cold. 

 

The office was silent for a moment, and then people started to cheer. Tony, although surprised, focused on spreading his awareness out. He didn’t sense any more criminals… “Quickly, leave the building, it’s safe now,” He promised. 

 

The people didn’t need to be told twice; they quickly hurried out the fire escape. Tony, meanwhile grabbed the two still awake criminals and brought them to the window while he dragged the unconscious bodies over. 

 

“Um… Are you going to float us down?” The smaller of the two asked,”I mean- Um-I… Please don’t throw us…”

 

Tony decided against making a snarky quip, and instead settled grabbing the two by their leg and hanging them upside down as he brought them to the ground. 

 

Below the skyscraper were several red and blue lights.  _ The police and the fire brigade.  _ He saw that the civilians had been moved away, giving him enough room to drop the criminals on the ground.

 

The cops quickly grabbed them and headed towards their cars. Knowing the situation was handled, Tony went back up to grab the last few unconscious bodies. However, just as he reached the window, a bright light hit him. 

 

“Stop right there!” A loud voice blared,”You are under arrest for obstruction of the Accords! Stand down now!” 

 

_ Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me… _ Tony thought, turning to see a helicopter just above the skyscrapers looking right at him.  _ Ross, I’m gonna fucking kill you!  _

 

As quickly as possible, Tony shot into the air. The helicopter followed after him, already trying to shoot at him. They were too close, Tony knew he couldn’t fly to his tower with them trailing him. 

 

_ Shit! This is bad, this is really bad!  _ Tony thought, and called,”Friday! How far away is the Avengers compound?”

 

“ _ With your speed, sir, ten minutes. But with their speed? They’ll be right behind you,”  _ The AI said.

 

“Dammit!” Tony yelled, looking behind him for a moment at the helicopter still close by. He turned back around, and then had to swerve in the air to avoid another copter close by. 

 

Panic started to build up in Tony’s chest.  _ This wasn’t supposed to happen! How do I get away!?! I have to get away, I HAVE TO GET AWAY!! _

 

Something built up in Tony’s chest, and then all of a sudden he was surrounded by a flash of blue light. His body felt like it was being yanked through a tube, and then the next thing Tony knew, he crashed into a wall. 

 

The genius stumbled backwards, falling onto the ground. Instead of the sky he expected to see, he saw the lights that he used inside Stark Tower.  _ What..?  _ He turned his head, looking all over.  _ I’m in Stark Tower... _

 

He forced himself into a sitting position, yanking down the mask and hood as he gathered his breath. 

 

“What the-“ He whispered, blearily looking back up at the ceiling. “Hey… Friday? What just happened…?”

 

Friday’s voice even sounded surprised as she responded,”I believe you just teleported, boss.”

 

“Huh…” Tony muttered,”Well ain’t that a bitch…” 

 

With that final declaration, the genius fell back onto the floor, and into a dead faint. 

 

— — — — — — —

 

“ _ This just in, a group of criminals that attacked an account firm in New York City. According to witnesses, they were after the codes for several accounts and were prepared to kill to get them _ ,” The female reporter on the TV screen explained.

 

The Rouge Avengers were sitting in the motel room they had rented, all doing their own thing. The only people really watching the television actively were Wanda, Steve, and Clint. The archer was cleaning his arrows as he stared at the screen.

 

“Huh…” Clint said,”Sounds like New York might actually start missing us, we could have handled that in minutes-”

 

“ _ This situation, however, was ended in minutes after an unknown vigilante arrived on the scene; Instantly, they saved someone who had been thrown out the window. They then proceeded to defeat all the attackers on their own, apparently using some type of superpowers,” The reporter explained,”Here is some footage from the scene. _ ”

 

It was grainy security footage, but one could clearly see the circular shield around a masked man and then- when he raised his hand - and the guns were taken from their hands and crushed in a blue glow. The longer Wanda watched the footage, the more shocked she became. 

 

The recording switched to a cell phone recording, showing the man floating down with the criminals in his arms. “ _ After he stopped a bomb and brought down two of the criminals, he was chased by military helicopters and then disappeared in a blue light, _ ” The reporter woman narrated,” _ No one knows who this could have been, but we are all thankful for them. They saved many lives today. Back to you, Jimmy. _ ”

 

The report switched, and Steve decided to comment. “That poor guy, Ross is already chasing after him and all he wanted to do was help…” The man sadly said,”Maybe we should try and reach out to him?”

 

“If he shows his face again,” Clint quipped,”Poor Guy probably has no clue why he was even being chased.”

 

Steve nodded in agreement, leaning back against the uncomfortable chair and replying,”Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

 

_ No, I don’t want to wait…  _ Wanda thought, her mind still replaying the images of those blue powers that he was using.  _ His powers… They’re like mine.  _

 

Yes, their powers were similar… But, he was so much better than her. He never struggled to hold anything, he never wavered when focusing on more than one thing. 

 

Wanda quickly stood up, hugging herself and moving to leave the hotel. 

 

“You okay?” Steve asked, watching her with a fatherly-like concern.

 

She quickly nodded, and whispered,”Yeah, it’s just kind of stuffy. I need some fresh air.”

 

Steve looked around at the crowded room, and seemed to instantly understand. He nodded, and said,”Alright, but please be careful.”

 

Wanda nodded again, and hurried out the door and over to the pool. She sighed, sitting at the edge and pulling her feet up to her chest.  _ That man… He could control his powers so well, he was like a master…  _

 

She brought her hand up to her face, waving her fingers and watching the raw red power dance between them. The dance was erratic and shaky, and she struggled to even simply watch it… Her powers wanted so bad to lash out. 

  
Wanda stopped, quickly vanishing the powers away, and looking back up to the sky.  _ I have to find him, I have to find that man…  _ She decided.  _ Maybe… Maybe he could help me with my powers _ …  _ He could help me learn how to control them… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: FRIDAY calls Rhodey, Ross calls for a press conference, and Wanda meets with Vision

**Author's Note:**

> Next Chapter: Tony awakens to an interrogation from Ross, and decides to test the waters.


End file.
